A good sign for proponents of a constitutional convention: the main controversy here is not whether to have a convention, but how to choose delegates?

All kinds of ideas are being thrown out, but there is one dividing line: whether elected officials should be permitted to be part of a convention. Panelists have argued for a populist vision, with regular citizens serving as delegates. Some say elected officials should be kept out of the situation. They're conflicted, is one argument. They're the prisoners of special interests, goes another argument.

But the idea of excluding public officials is not popular inside this ballroom. Many of the attendees -- perhaps a majority (It's hard for me to tell) -- are local elected officials who have been vocal in cheering each other.